By my new company (when is it no longer considered new?) is really into Gallup’s StrengthsFinder — like, REALLY. before I even officially started there, I heard the question, “what are your top five?” more than once. and this week, as part of our first-team offsite, we spent an ample amount of time discussion our individual strengths, as well as our composition as a team.
for those who are not familiar, the purpose of the program is to promote using your strengths to be more “engaged, productive and happier.” after taking completing an assessment, you are provided a ranking of the 34 identified strengths, or themes, which is where the favored top five come into play — your most dominant talents.
as someone who values self-awareness and improvement, I enjoy taking and analyzing these behavioral assessments and I’ve completed my fair share prior to strengths: DiSC profile = Dominance; Myers-Briggs = ENTJ; TotalSDI = motivated by performance/red. and, while I don’t buy into any one person being summed up by a color or a bunch of letters or a list of ranked characteristics or that these assessments should be used to excuse behaviors, I do strongly believe having a better understanding of ourselves is a very positive thing — both in supporting a happier life as an individual and also allowing us to form better relationships and connect with others.
my StrengthsFinder top five are below. i’ve also included a few excerpts that resonated from the insight report, which takes into account your top ten themes.
- input: people who are especially talented in the input theme have a craving to know more. often they like to collect and archive all kinds of information.
- learner: people who are especially talented in the learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. in particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.
- focus: people who are especially talented in the focus theme can take a direction, follow through, and make the corrections necessary to stay on track. they prioritize, then act.
- achiever: people who are especially talented in the achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and work hard. they take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.
- competition: people who are especially talented in the competition theme measure their progress against the performance of others. they strive to win first place and revel in contests.
input: maybe you love to gather all kinds of information. it’s very likely that you thrive when you are encouraged to acquire knowledge and skills. you enjoy studying, reading, listening, and thinking. you mind is crowded with information on numerous subjects. the act of processing it excites you. you probably have a special place or time to reflect on your discoveries.
learner: you may thirst for new ideas and knowledge. your desire to study enables you to talk about a variety of topics with newcomers or outsiders. knowing more increases the likelihood of your having something in common to talk about with a stranger.
focus: perhaps you become single-minded about revising, renovating, redesigning, or renewing particular programs, processes, machines, structures, or plans. instinctively, you may be regarded by certain people as realistic or unsentimental. it’s very likely that you may sometimes feel a particular need to reach goals, make money, have power, or become famous. to achieve these successes, you might easily state what you want, expect, demand, or need.
achiever: you may be exceptionally inclined to finish the projects you start. you might double check and even triple check your own or others’ work. you are willing to do whatever it takes to complete your assignments on schedule. driven by your talents, you motivate your friends with your passion for moving ideas from the talking stage to the action stage. your dedication to various projects rallies numerous individuals to work alongside you.
competition: by nature, you sometimes strive to finish first or be the best in specific situations. driven by your talents, you may yearn to be independently successful. sometimes you rely on your results to build your reputation as an accomplished and competent professional or student. chances are good that you may be driven to be “number one” or the best. this partially explains why your thoughts sometimes turn to what you need to do better. as a result, you might decide you need to acquire particular skills or knowledge. you probably create your own contests just to generate more energy and enthusiasm for a task.
are there any other personal behavior assessment lovers out there? which ones are your favorite or resonate more with you?
“Live, travel, adventure, bless and don’t be sorry.” ~Jack Kerouac
week in review
last week’s gratitude: the opportunity to begin again every day
what I’m reading: The Boston Girl + The Mindfulness-Based Eating Solution
yummy brunch with new friends
a visit to one of my favorite breweries (pic 2)
delicious dinner + awesome conversation with one of my favorite people
attended 1st birthday party + was ridiculously outnumbered by one-year olds
dinner + catching up with a good friend
birthday wishes for my 17-year old niece (how can that be possible?!)
brews + dinner with a good friend
lots of time with coworkers + work dinners + work happy hours
registered for four-week writing class at Lighthouse
began 2017 travel wish list
sent many handwritten notes + cards
mowed the lawn in a tank top — in late October
super productive + awesome work week (learned so much at our offsite!)
began first draft of planner (a life goal of mine is to create + produce a planner)
TOOL (pic 4)
celebrated the engagement of two good friends (so excited for them!)
enjoyed a Friday evening in after a VERY busy week
grateful for beautiful sunrises to accompany my earlier-than-normal mornings (pic 3)
wrote + posted week in review + staying with the wobble
began first steps to officially volunteer with Colorado Young Leaders
weekend happenings + goals
catch up on sleep
celebrate Halloween
read
lots of house tasks + errands
welcome a college friend + houseguest for the next few days
prepare for no-spend November
determine holiday plans
move + be active
trajectoryoflife.com 
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